


Safe

by Aviena



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage Proposal, Meeting the Parents, Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 22:18:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6584800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviena/pseuds/Aviena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan was the same man he’d been before the battle for Earth, but happier, more relaxed, finally unafraid to want a future. Shepard admired his resilience. He’d seen such horrors, endured so much pain, but he’d come through it whole and unbroken, ready to give as much love as she was willing to take.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe

Safe.

It was a familiar word. It rolled off her tongue quickly, easily. She’d had a lot of practice saying it to other people.

_I’m Commander Shepard. I’m here to get you somewhere safe._

More recently, though, it became one of those words she only used in the negative.

_There’s nowhere in the galaxy that’s safe from the Reapers._

But here she was: wrapped up in a brand new woollen throw rug Liara had gifted her as a welcome-home present. It was warm. Soft. Clean. Bundled up in its tangled, yielding depths, Shepard was slowly reclaiming all the little things the Reapers had taken from her.

“Safe,” she whispered. She spoke so quietly that the syllable was indiscernible. Her breath misted on the window by her head, and the old couch beneath her groaned faintly as she shifted to wipe the condensation away. She could see her face reflected back at her, overlaid like watercolours on the sprawling Vancouver ruins below. Repairs were slow, but they were progressing. And they were all _safe_.

“Morning, Cass.” Kaidan appeared at her side like a ghost, but his hand was warm and solid when it came to rest on her shoulder. Shepard twined her fingers through his, and even managed to smile up at him as he squeezed reassuringly.

“Morning.”

“Sleep well?”

“Yeah.” That was a lie, of course, and Kaidan knew it. Shepard was sure her nightmares must wake him as often as they did her. She’d hoped the ghosts would stop their chanting once the Reapers were dealt with, but so far they were still going strong. They’d even expanded their ranks. Ash and the others had been joined by Anderson, and for some reason it was _his_ echoes that really drove home everything that had been lost.

_You did good, child. I’m proud of you._

“Liar.” Kaidan managed to make it sound joking, but Shepard could see the truth in his eyes. He’d lost her twice already. He could see the cliff she was standing on, and he was determined to pull her back. Shepard wanted him to. She did. But it was going to take time. Time to rebuild, to heal. Time to bury the bad memories beneath the good, and time to make new ones.

Kaidan came to sit beside her and slipped his hand around her waist. Kaidan was the same man he’d been before the battle for Earth, but _happier_ , more relaxed, finally unafraid to want a future. Shepard admired his resilience. He’d seen such horrors, endured so much pain, but he’d come through it whole and unbroken, ready to give as much love as she was willing to take. He kissed her cheek gently, and his warmth soaked through her as though all her barriers were gone.

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked. His breath was warm too. Shepard wanted nothing more than to melt into him, to let his voice and his breath and his sweet, gentle kisses envelop everything she was.

“I’m not very hungry, Kaidan.”

“My parents are arriving today,” he breathed against her cheek. “You don’t want to deal with my mother on an empty stomach.”

A smile tugged at Shepard’s lips. A real one, so swift and natural that it left her breathless. She was nervous about meeting her boyfriend’s mother. God – it was so normal. So safe.

“Are you offering to cook?”

“You bet. We’ve got bacon.”

“Bacon it is.” She turned her head to kiss him, swift but gentle. God, that smile got her every time.

\---

She could hear them speaking softly down the hall, voices sailing low and warm on a tide of exhaustion, relief and Canadian lager. Shepard had volunteered to do the dishes – partly to look like the perfect girlfriend, and partly to give them some time alone. The three Alenkos had all survived the war. It was a miracle. There were few families who could count themselves so lucky.

Kaidan’s mother, Alla, was a very forceful woman. Her voice carried farther than that of her softly spoken son or husband. “So when are you going to ask her to marry you?”

There was a shocked silence. Shepard stood stock still, ears straining, but she didn’t catch Kaidan’s answer.

“I don’t understand what the hold-up is,” Alla’s voice came again, even louder than before. “I’ve never seen you like this, Kaidan. She obviously makes you happy...” Her voice lowered then – probably Kaidan’s doing.

“....so busy, all the time,” she eventually heard Kaidan reply. “She’s exhausted, mom. I don’t want to hurry her.”

Shit. Shepard had better make some noise.

Clatter, splash, swoosh – doing dishes noisily necessitated a bit of mess. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to spare Kaidan some embarrassment or distract herself. Marriage. _Marriage_. A few short weeks ago, Shepard would have shied away from the thought. The word marriage conjured up images of white dresses and sparkly rings, sure – but also the whispers of a future, and Shepard had spent _so long_ expecting she’d never get one.

_So when are you going to ask her to marry you?_

_Greatest challenge of my life, and the greatest reward._

_Whatever happens, know that I love you. Always._

They farewelled Alla and Martyn about an hour later, and Shepard fought to keep her smile natural. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to stay with us? The place might not be anything fancy, but it keeps the wind out.”

Martyn smiled good-naturedly and shook his head, and Alla gathered Shepard in for a hug. “No, no,” she said, “you two deserve some peace and quiet. We’ll be heading back to the old neighbourhood to rebuild, dear, but thank you for thinking of us.”

Kaidan walked them to the end of the street, holding his mother’s arm and knocking shoulders with his father. Watching them conjured a painful pressure in Shepard’s chest and brought hot tears to her eyes. They were a miracle, and Shepard could only hope there would be many more like them. Kaidan wore a wondering smile all the way back to their door, but it faltered when he saw her tears. He gathered her gently into his arms and tucked his head over her shoulder.

“You okay?”

“I’m so happy for you,” she breathed.

He must have heard the unspoken addendum, because his arms tightened around her. “We’re all here because of you, Cassie. Everyone – every single living being in the galaxy – has you to thank for their life.”

She nodded wordlessly, fingers digging into his back like she couldn’t stand without him. He’d said all this before. She knew it was true, but it was going to take time to make peace with the billions she _couldn’t_ save.

“Let’s get married,” she whispered.

Kaidan went perfectly still. “What?”

“Let’s get _married_.” She was suddenly nervous. Had he offered his mother an easy deflection? Was he even really interested in something permanent?

_What would I do without you?_

_You’ll never find out._

The silence was beginning to hurt. “Kaidan –“

“What if I say yes,” he murmured. “But I still get to propose?”

“What?”

“I had this fantastic plan, you know, and it just seems like a waste if I don’t follow through.” He was shaking with suppressed laughter, and Shepard could feel answering giggles building low in her chest. “Believe me, you don’t want to miss –“

She cut him off with a kiss – hard, passionate, _overjoyed._ He smiled against her lips and backed her slowly into the doorframe with his firm, gentle hands on her waist. “What would I do without you?” she gasped. He moved his mouth to her neck and chuckled warmly.

“You’ll never find out.”


End file.
